Mascot No More
by Ravindra Anima
Summary: Ravindra Anima is a 4th year student at Hogwarts. Being a Ravenclaw, she actually looks forward to Divination, until she gets a GOOD prediction?
1. Tea For Two

Rave pushed off from the wall she was leaning on and followed the rest of the students up the ladder that lead to Professor Trelawney's "classroom". Rave thought it was fun. Even if some of the kids around thought the teacher was full of baloney, Rave knew otherwise, she could tell there was something there, and she respected the dogged out teacher for it.

The students mumbled to each other as they shuffled to their tea tables. A tea cup lay upside down on a saucer before each student.

The Ravenclaws were with the Gryffindors today, so there weren't any snide remarks from the Slytherins. The Gryffindors did poke fun, but the Ravenclaws always sat and listened, soaking up as much as they could.

Rave sat her book down and looked at her cup. She hadn't been too successful at reading tea leaves, but she had been studying to see if she could get it right.

Trelawney paced the room, her coke bottle glasses gleaming from the hundreds of smelly candles that lit the already dim room. Even with all the candles, it was still dim. Rave held back a sneeze thinking it was the incense the teacher coveted so much.

The frizzy haired professor made her rounds about the room, pouring each student their tea, and then smiled patiently as the guzzled or drank the bitter potion.

Rave made a face and shook her head. Her short black hair fluffed a bit, and then her bangs settled back over her left eye. She shuddered and tried to control the spasms that the tea ignited with its bitter taste.

Turning the tea cup over, she let the leaves dry on the bottom and the rest of what little was left of the tea drain out onto the plate. Lifting the delicate cup back up she studied the leaves.

Trelawney chose that moment to help her out and peered over her shoulder as the young 4th year student tried to decipher her future.

"AH! My dear girl you have been blessed!"

The whole class room turned and looked at her with a gasp of shock. Everyone knew Trelawney loved to predict everyone's death, especially Harry Potter, who glared at her over his thin rimmed glasses. Rave blushed a furious color of red and looked back down at her cup.

"My dear child, you will gain a friend that will be more like family, and also loose yourself in the process!"

The teacher smiled, clasped her hands together and flitted to the next table. Rave looked at her incredulously, and wrinkled her nose.

"_What the hell was that suppose to mean??!?" _she thought as she looked at the tea leaves still harder due to the class still staring slack jawed at her

Ron leaned over to whisper to his friend, and Rave noted out of the corner of her eyes that they were laughing.

Another blush, this one of anger swept over her, and she set her cup down, grabbed her bag and walked out of the room. Trelawney didn't say anything. Rave didn't even think she saw her leave.

All the better. She wasn't a huge Harry Potter fan like everyone else. She didn't swoon when he looked at her, and worse, when he glared at her, she absolutely wanted to zap him one good time.

He infuriated her. A scar and some misadventures, and he was popular and a celebrity of the wizarding world. No one seemed to EVER recognize her. She could laugh and tell jokes all day long, but even without the presence of Harry Potter...she seemed to be invisible.


	2. A Tree to Remember

A short jog to the dungeon that the Ravenclaw students used as their  
portion of Hogwarts, a quick drink of water, and swiping her broom,  
Rave found herself trotting outside. Divinations was her last class  
for the afternoon, and as she had just walked out on it and had  
nothing better else to do, well she was going for a ride.  
  
She loved flying. She loved Quidditch, and above all, she loved the  
look of the grounds from way above on her broom stick.  
  
Walking down the hall, the dark haired girl passed several other  
students who were going to their dungeon. Slytherins. All of which  
made some comment or another to her so that she stuck her tongue out  
at them after having passed them and was well out of sight.  
  
There was only ONE Slytherin girl she could stand, and that was Isis.  
Isis was like all the others, but not. It was hard to explain, but her  
cruel streak didn't run nearly as deep as the others.  
  
Folding her Ravenclaw scarf about her neck, she pushed back wisps of  
hair and headed out the front doors of the great castle. Again, no one  
saw her leave, and no one said anything else in regards.  
  
Rave's dark purple eyes scanned the grounds, and after noting that not  
a soul paid her any heed, she got onto her broom and took off. This is  
what she had loved about the wizarding world from day one. She'd  
always been on her broom, or mixing different potions.  
  
Her pointed ears twitched a bit as she chuckled. Sliding down and  
ducking through the trees of the forbidden forest she remembered her  
Mother's reaction to her first failed experiment.  
  
Rave's mother was an Elf from a country far away, and her father was a  
Wizard who was in search of said Elves. Luckily he found them, and  
her, and not long after settling, Ravindra was born. Ravindra was  
Elven for Sun. Her mom had always said she was a bouncing ray of  
light.  
  
Having natural Elven abilities, and a knack of Wizarding from her dad,  
she was invited to Hogwarts. That same year, she had blown up a  
particularly smelly potion, to which her mother made her stew in  
something that smelled worse then her potion, in order to get rid of  
the smell.  
  
Her parents still lived in those mountains. Sometimes she wished she  
could go back. At least the Elves there accepted her. Maybe her  
pointed ears, and sharp features were too much for the students here,  
but that was no reason to act as if she wasn't here...  
  
A black blob of a shadow crossed down below her. Getting a good look  
at it was skewered from the branches of the huge trees. Rave snapped  
her head around to see what it was, and upon looking back up came face  
to face with the biggest tree trunk she'd ever seen.  
  
She attempted to dodge, but her luck wasn't with her. As she  
collided, she winced as the broom slid out from under her, and she  
fell back. Having been so high up, as she started to fall, the long  
braids that fell in front of her ears flew up and past her face. She  
screamed as soon as she realized she was probably not going to survive  
this fall.  
  
Her heart skipped and she closed her eyes. Seconds later she opened  
them after the feeling of falling left. The site before her made her  
scramble and back herself into the very tree that had almost caused  
her demise.  
  
The creature, no, the Gryffin was laying down, it's paws crossed  
neatly over one another. It's black fur glinting ever so slightly when  
the rays of the dieing sun managed to hit them through the dense brush  
of the trees surrounding them. Horns, and teeth, and EVERYTHING were  
bigger then Rave's eyes could take in and she gulped.  
  
"I'm not an IT, I'm a SHE. And you owe me."  
  
The Gryffin leaned forward, narrowing her eyes and huffing at the  
half-elf's hair.  
  
"You should be dead ya know?"  
  
"I...I..yes..I...um.."  
  
"Did you bite your tongue off in the fall? SPEAK!" the gryffin smiled,  
or...grinned.  
  
Rave jumped and nodded.  
  
"Yes Ma'am! I know! THANK YOU!"  
  
Rave closed her eyes and bobbed her head. What was going on?!?! This  
was the weirdest day ever, AND she was going to be EATEN!! She  
suddenly wondered if her previous thoughts on Trelawney were true.  
  
"I won't eat you, but I do have a request. And if you DON'T help me,  
THEN I'll eat you. You see. My magick is quite powerful...powerful  
enough to save someone from a 3 story fall...and if you don't do as I  
say, I MIGHT be tempted to use it and my teeth in order to get you're  
cooperation."  
  
The griffin looked smug as she awaited the girls answer.  
  
"Anything."  
  
Rave looked into the Gryffin's eyes and wondered if she was telling the truth.  
  
"I speak the truth, but what I want is far simpler...you see..." the  
griffin turned it's head in the direction of the Castle, "There was a  
man here, about two moons ago. Quite fetching. I've been camping out  
here in hopes of snatching him and taking him to my Errie."  
  
The Black Gryffin stood up and paced as it wound around trees, its  
tail slashing at she grew more agitated.  
  
"But he hasn't returned! I think the beautiful one caught site of me  
and has not returned due to fear."  
  
Tilting her large feather head, she peered at Rave, her large green  
eyes glowing brighter.  
  
"Jaw length black hair, black clothes, a beautiful sneer...do you know  
of who I speak?"  
  
Walking closer, she came face to face with the student.  
  
"Sn..Snape. But he's not afraid of anything..."  
  
"AH! Well good then. I shall meet him..and YOU shall help me!"  
  
The gryffin's eyes twinkled. Rave slowly began to get used to her  
gigantic presence.  
  
"But...you're like 15 feet tall... and you're species..."  
  
That thought was kind of funny. She might have to draw that. Her  
wandering mind was brought back as the Gryffin scoffed, raised its  
head and closed its eyes. The smuggest expression she'd ever seen on  
any animal.  
  
"I have magick you WIZARDS couldn't even fathom."  
  
A purple mist surrounded the gryffin. Her eyes grew wide, and Rave  
watched in rapt fascination at what was going on before her. She  
didn't know WHAT was going on, but something spectacular was. Soon all  
she could see were the glowing green orbs of the gryffin's eyes, and  
then nothing.  
  
Rave waited for the mist to disappear almost impatiently. Then,  
without warning, a tall female figure strode out from the mist, stark  
naked. A smile wrapped around her face and she pushed back white  
strands of hair, emerald eyes fell on the shocked student.  
  
"I will meet this Snape, and you will help me. My names Leiko, you  
call me LEAKO and you die."  
  
Rave was still in shock of the naked woman in front of her that USED  
to be a gryffin.  
Shaking her head, she put one hand to her face, and held the other out  
to the woman, shaking it.  
"Whoa. Whoa. WHOA! You can't just prance into...HOGWARTS naked. You're  
going to need some robes of some sort, and I KNOW you're not a  
Ravenclaw...no one threatens death if they can't snog a teacher in our  
house..."  
  
She knew exactly what robes she would need and who to get them from.  
The thought occurred to her that she was a little too willing to help.  
Maybe it was the exhilaration of this creature helping her into her  
moment of fame.  
  
"Fine. Get me what I need then..."  
  
The gryffin...no, woman, crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.  
  
Rave just grinned, hoped on her broom, and sped to the castle. A  
moments chat with Isis, and she was back in the forest. Leiko was  
still standing where she'd left her, and STILL looking impatient.  
  
Another toothy grin split Rave's face as she handed the woman her clothes.  
  
"Here. You're in Slytherin. Most likely they won't have any room for  
you in the dorm, but I imagine you wouldn't mind the owlry."  
  
Leiko smiled herself, putting on the unfamiliar clothes awkwardly.  
  
"I can make a place for myself. Don't mind that. But I will follow you  
so that I can meet this...teacher? of yours."  
  
The question was easy enough to answer; it was the rest that was  
throwing Rave into fits of giggles.  
  
"Yes, Snape is our Potions teacher. He's quite cruel and snarky if you  
ask me. Though, I think you might just give him a run for his money."  
  
She helped Leiko turn her robe around the right way.  
  
"And if anyone asks, you're my half sister."  
  
Leiko nodded and then looked at her.  
  
"My names Rave, sorry I forgot about that. Wasn't the first thing on  
my mind upon meeting you. In fact, I'm rather proud I didn't pee  
myself."  
  
Rave's grin was contagious as Leiko chuckled.  
  
"I think I like you."  
  
The unease between the two was gone. Rave felt this was an adventure  
waiting to bite her, or her it. She'd never done ANYTHING remotely  
like this and it was exhilarating!  
  
Leiko's false bravado was soon gone, and Rave was able to joke around  
with her as she had been able to do with no one else. Not that  
anything about the woman was false, she WAS arrogant and not afraid to  
show it, but Rave's willingness, and her ease at joking around with  
her, had shown the gryffin that this girl was more then that shivering  
mass that had been shivering against the tree.  
  
They both entered the castle, and were soon bustled into a corner by  
Isis wanting to know every detail.  
  
Rave grinned. There was a new Terrible Trio in Hogwarts, and she  
wondered what the other trio would think.


	3. 3 Blind Mice

Chapter 3: Three Blind Mice

Breakfast at Hogwarts was normally a big to do. All the children would swarm the tables and soon mounds and mounds of food would appear. Breakfast was Rave's favorite time of the day, and normally she shoved her face and listened to everyone else talk.

Today was no different. Rave kept her ears open for any comments about the weird, new Slytherin girl. Leiko had said her powers were like none other, had she altered all of their minds to believe she was actually a real student?

Her purple eyes widened as she heard one of the Ravenclaw boys commenting on Leiko. Nothing he said made her think he thought her sudden appearance strange. In fact, the things he DID say made the tips of her ears burn and she had to avert her eyes.

Coughing, she picked up her glass of pumpkin juice and tried to calm herself. No, no one had a clue. Thankfully! She'd actually stayed up half the night trying to think of something to say, some kind of story, SOMETHING!

She stopped mid sip when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning slowly she looked from the hand to the person, and almost spit the juice out all over the boy. Harry Potter stepped back into a group of people, or, a trio of people, as she noted Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger.

"Hi, um, Ravindra... we were wondering if we could talk to you?"

Harry's hands fidgeted with his robe as he spoke, and he sounded as if he was so curious he was going to explode. Hermione had a superior look on her face that suggested she knew everything Rave was plotting and why. Ron, just peered over Harry's shoulder and waited a response.

Rave pointed at her chest in surprised.

"Me? Are you sure?"

She stopped and then looked at them narrowing her eyes. She was trying her hardest to throw them off the trail.

"You're not going to have moaning Myrtle give me a swirlie for Trelawney's prediction are you?"

Harry actually grinned, and Ron stifled a laugh behind his hand.

"No, we were just curious about something..and well..we think you have the answers."

Rave sighed inwardly. They must have followed her. They had a habit of doing that from what she had heard, and for some reason she got a sneaky suspicion that if they hadn't followed her, they at least walked in on a part of hers and Leiko's conversation that didn't quite make sense.

Harry still fussed with the hems of his robes as he spoke. She wondered why. It suddenly hit her like a board in the back of the head when she realized that Harry was the front man. Ron and Hermione both were slightly behind him as if for protection.

A wicked little voice inside her started cackling, and she suppressed a smile. Rave would have never thought that fear would make her so happy, but now that she was faced with the boy who lived, the same boy who faced down he who would not be named, and realized there was fear in all of them. Obviously not so much in Harry, but the other two looked as if they strained to keep from running away.

"Ok, um, well I'm finished so if you'd like, I need to go to the owlry and check on Mara."

The Trio nodded and stood back as she stood up and dusted crumbs off of her robes. Rave looked up at them oddly as they seemed to be holding their breath.

"Shall we?"

She swept her hand aside and smiled. She was REALLY having fun with this. Harry, Ron and Hermione all lined up beside her as they made their way out. Isis and Leiko both looked up from their table. Both a look of concern as Rave and Isis had debriefed Leiko on some of the things at school so she didn't sound too out of place. It might have been helpful for them if she'd told them of this little trick sooner. Rave rubbed her jaw remembering that she'd done most of the talking.

"So, we were wondering.. um."

Harry seemed at a loss for words, and any other day she'd have thought it disturbing. Today it was kind of cute.

Ron decided to speak up since Harry didn't seem to be finishing his sentence.

"Ravindra we saw you crash in the forbidden forest yesterday, and when we ran to see if you were ok, we saw you standing with the naked woman."

Ron's eyes were gleaming, and he seemed to be pretty enthused about the naked woman bit.

"Yes, and seeing as how she's OBVIOUSLY not a student, we want to know who she is and where she's from."

Hermione's tone was that of no nonsense, and Rave held her hand back from slapping the look off of her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Leiko's a Slytherin and has been here the whole time. You three are just too caught up in yourselves and adventures to know any better."

Her smile was a smug one, as she placed her hands in her robe pockets and walked a bit ahead of them.

The dark haired boy glared at Hermione over his glasses, and then exhaled as if he was about to drop the proverbial bomb on her.

"Her spell, or whatever it is didn't work. We looked into it this morning after asking others about it and realized that because we were in the vicinity, it didn't work."

As reluctant as his words were, he still sounded as if he were a cat with a mouse dangling from his teeth.

Rave stopped, dropped her head into her hand and sighed.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me..."


End file.
